Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley believed passionately that land, arts, and collections reveal who we are as a people. The Foundation provides grants, technical assistance, and program-related investments to non-profit organizations in our regions who work to improve the quality of life through these areas.

Natural lands — preserved and restored on a landscape scale — are critical to the well-being of wildlife, plant life, and human communities.

Collections — accessible to the public and creatively interpreted, urge us to consider where we’ve been, where we are now and where our next steps might take us.

Our founders were deeply committed to the communities in which they lived – the Chicago region and the Lowcountry of South Carolina. The Foundation supports equitable and inclusive access and engagement with land, art, and collections for all the communities in our regions.